Munich 2022

While walking through the aisles of Halle at Munich High End, heading for my last couple of assigned rooms (or areas), I came across designer Michael Børresen, who, with Lars Kristensen (above), gave me a quick run-down of his latest gear. There were new speakers at both the entry and extreme levels from Børresen, and new amplification at the top end from Aavik. The three brands on display—Børresen Acoustics, Aavik Acoustics, and Ansuz Acoustics—were consolidated under one umbrella company, Audio Group Denmark, in 2020.

Two new pairs of Børresen Acoustics speakers were on demo: a top-tier stand-mounted M-1 (above) and the company's first entry-point model, the X-3 floorstander (bottom photo). Their cabinets' form factors closely resemble the maker's current models but drivers and materials differ. The X-3's newly designed "low-noise" drivers have diaphragms made of spread-tow carbon fiber in a checkerboard-like lattice pattern. Evidently the lattice work helps with uniform (low) mass. It's also very stiff—Børresen asked me to try to bend a sample cone; I couldn't. These cones are labor-intensive to make. For now, they're manufactured in-house in the company's Denmark factory but this cone production will move to Germany soon, Børresen said. A quick impression: Sound seemed precise, clean and clear, but not thin.

At the other extreme, the M-1 is "the best we can do" I was told—their bleeding edge. The M-1's silver driver is housed in "a topology-optimized basket made from zirconium," Børresen told me. A quick listen to those stand-mounts showed remarkable low-end extension with solid definition and control. And by "showed" I also mean literally: It was cool to see the drivers' excursions pumping out the deep beats and heavy pulses on an EDM digital track.

Exact MSRPs for these new speakers are TBD but the X-3 floorstander could retail in the $11,000/pair range; the M-1 around $100,000/pair (including stands). The company anticipates shipping to begin in the Fall, probably in October.

Aavik Acoustics introduced a line of three new amplification components at the show. A new Aavik I-880 integrated amplifier (above) rested on a stand between the two active demo rooms. Its heatsinks dipped slightly in a shallow curve in the center of the chassis. The new amp is said to put out 200 watts (into 8 ohms) of class-A power. The output devices are never switching, Børresen said, though he called the design "different" class-A. It's still linear, but his approach is reported to produce less heat and operate more efficiently. Of course it's more complicated than this, but essentially he increased the bias current, allowing more current headroom, to make sure the bias spread stays stable across all (dynamic) conditions.

Two designers' signatures graced a plate on top—one belonging to Flemming Rasmussen, best known as Gryphon's designer and founder (though he no longer owns that company), the other to Børresen.

A second room showed new separates: a C-880 preamplifier and an P-880 power amplifier (above) alongside a couple of 580 series componentsseen at AXPONA 2022. The Aavik P-880 outputs 250Wpc of class-A power and can deliver up to 62A of instant current to handle dynamic swings, Børresen said. Lars Kristensen of Aavik (and Børresen and Ansuz) was on-hand presenting demos. Various Ansuz Acoustics cables joined the setups' components. This quick unexpected stop on Sunday was a worthwhile one.